Part 1: General Population Nutrition Advice That May Not Apply to Athletes
In this series, we discuss how the nutrition needs of athletes differ from the general population. We cover topics such as sodium, sugar-sweetened beverages, fruits and vegetables, sugar, and intuitive eating. Athlete’s nutrition needs are unique due to their high volume of training that exceeds general population exercise recommendations. Athletes often require more calories, fluids, and other nutrients to support their training. One nutrient that that athletes may need to focus on is sodium.
Risks of too much sodium
Have you ever been told to watch your sodium (aka salt) intake? Everyone needs some sodium to be healthy but excess intake can increase risk for developing high blood pressure, and therefore heart disease and stroke. But before you put away the salt shaker, let’s dive into why sodium is important for the body and why athletes might not need to worry about their intake.
Sodium and health
Sodium is an electrolyte involved in many bodily processes including the following:
- Fluid balance – keeping our cells hydrated and blood pressure regulated
- Nervous system function – sustaining our movements, sensations, and basic bodily functions such as breathing, digestion, sweating, etc.
- Muscle contraction – helping our muscles function properly
The recommended daily sodium intake for Canadians aged 9-50 is 1500 mg.1 It is not recommended to exceed 2300 mg of sodium per day or roughly 1 teaspoon of salt.1 However, these guidelines were determined with moderately active individuals in mind – not highly active athletes who can lose large amounts of sweat, and therefore sodium, from training.
Sodium in sweat
Sweat is mostly water with trace amounts of other components, the largest amount of which is sodium. Sweat rates are highly variable based on the individual, the amount of physical activity, and the environment. Daily sweat rates can vary from 100 mL to over 8 L per day!2 Sodium concentration in sweat also varies but averages at about 800 mg of sodium per L of sweat.2 Due to these variations, there are no specific daily sodium requirements for athletes. It is not uncommon for athlete’s sodium needs to be higher than 2300 mg/day, especially if they have a high sweat rate and are a salty sweater.
Athlete’s sodium needs
Does this mean athletes should increase their sodium intake? Not necessarily. The average sodium intake of Canadian adults is already higher than the recommendations at 2760 mg/day and athletes tend to eat more food than the general population anyway.1 There are methods to estimate sweat rate and sodium concentration in sweat to determine individual needs but in general, athletes should not be restricting sodium intake.
Key takeaways
- Sodium is important for many bodily processes but too much can increase risk for high blood pressure.
- Sodium is the main mineral lost in sweat.
- Sweat rates and sodium concentration in sweat are highly variable within and among individuals.
- Athletes should not focus on sodium restriction.
- Athletes can work with a sports dietitian to determine their individual sodium needs.
This post was written in collaboration with Eliy Lirange, 4th year UBC student in Food, Nutrition, and Health and aspiring dietitian. Eliy is passionate about nutrition across the lifespan and how nutritional needs differ between people of different physiological states. From her passions, she aims to become a registered dietitian in a clinical setting and support patients with acute and chronic illnesses with personalized nutrition.
References
1. Health Canada. (2021, January 11). Sodium intake of Canadians in 2017. Canada.ca. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/publications/food-nutrition/sodium-intake-canadians-2017.html
2. American College of Sports Medicine, Sawka, M. N., Burke, L. M., Eichner, E. R., Maughan, R. J., Montain, S. J., & Stachenfeld, N. S. (2007). American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Exercise and fluid replacement. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 39(2), 377–390. https://doi.org/10.1249/mss.0b013e31802ca597
